Method and system for browsing and ordering from catalogs via the internet

ABSTRACT

A method and system for browsing and ordering from product catalogs via the Internet is disclosed. When a customer requests a catalog page, a low resolution image of the requested page is first provided to the customer. The size of the computer file corresponding to the page is reduced to be as small as possible, while still allowing products imaged on the page to be recognized. When a customer clicks on a hyperlink in the form of a blocked area in the low resolution image catalog page corresponding to a particular product, a more detailed presentation for that product is built from stored files which include a high resolution picture of the product, a headline file identifying the product, a copy file describing the product, and an order block data file providing detailed information for ordering the product. By initially providing low resolution images for requested catalog pages, such pages can be quickly downloaded to a customer&#39;s computer.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates to a method and system for browsingand ordering from catalogs via the Internet.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] Historically, people have shopped from the comfort of their homes(or offices) using printed paper catalogs. The traditional printedcatalog typically is a multi-page book containing an array of productpictures and descriptions and detailed information for purchasing suchproducts.

[0003] A typical printed catalog page may include a title, which is thecategory of products presented on the page, and one or morepresentations for products appearing within the category name.Typically, each presentation includes a picture of the product, aheadline defining the benefits of the product, copy beneath the headlinedescribing various features of the product, including, for example,size, color and weight, and detailed information and pricing forordering the product from the catalog company.

[0004] Also included in a typical printed catalog is an order form forpurchasing selected products using the ordering information. Theordering information for desired products is placed on the order form,which is then mailed to the catalog company. Alternatively, a purchasercan call what is typically a toll-free number to speak to a catalogcompany representative who takes the information for processing productpurchases.

[0005] More recently, the Internet has become a vehicle for electroniccommerce and a viable alternative for in home (or office) purchases ofproducts from companies that maintain a web site from which productinformation may be obtained and products ordered.

[0006] The Internet is a global communications system in which a vastnumber of computers and other devices are networked to allowuser-to-user communications and transfers of data files from one machineto any other on the network. The World Wide Web serves as one type ofinterface to the Internet that allows users to readily navigate theInternet's vast resources. The Web allows information and data dispersedacross the Internet to be linked in an easily accessible way. Thisinformation or data typically includes text, graphics, illustrations,sound and video.

[0007] The World Wide Web uses a client/server architecture in whichclient programs, called web browsers, running on users' computersrequest data from server programs running on other computers known asservers, which are located elsewhere on the Internet. The data requestedby a user's browser is typically part of a web site maintained by acompany or other entity. When the browser program requests the data, aweb server hosting the web site sends the requested data back over theInternet to the browser, which then interprets and displays the data onthe user's computer screen. Thus, a web browser is a computer program orapplication that has the ability to request data from any server on theInternet and interpret and display on a user's computer the data sent bya server through the Internet. Conversely, a web server is a computerprogram that responds to web browser requests for data and sends therequested data to the web browser through the Internet.

[0008] A web page is typically a file that contains HTML (hypertextmark-up language) files containing text and graphics, along with a setof HTML tags that describe how the text and graphics should be formattedand displayed on a user's computer screen. The tags are instructionsthat tell the web browser how the page should look when it displays thepage on a user's computer. So, for example, the tags serve to change thefont size or color, arrange things in columns, etc. The graphics orimages on web pages are typically either GIF files or JPG files. The GIFfiles are generally used for drawn graphics, while the JPG files aregenerally used for photographs or scanned images.

[0009] The World Wide Web uses an addressing system known as a UniformResource Locator (URL). A URL consists of four parts that, whencombined, completely define the location of any file or service locatedanywhere on the Internet. These parts are the protocol, domain name,path, and filename. Thus, a user's browser, in requesting a web pagefrom a web site, sends a message over the Internet that includes atleast a transfer protocol (e.g., http://), and a domain name (e.g.,www.catalogcompanyname.com). The last two components of a URL may or maynot exist, depending on the location and type of information any givenhyperlink points to. The server receives the user's request andretrieves the requested web page or other file, which is composed inHTML. The server then transmits the requested page or other file backacross the Internet to the user's computer. The user's browser programreceives the HTML file and displays its interpretation of the requestedfile. Thus, browser programs send requests and receive the data neededto display the HTML page on a user's screen. This includes the HTML fileitself, plus each of the graphic, sound and video files mentioned in theHTML file. Once the data is retrieved, the browser formats the data asindicated by the HTML tags and displays it on the user's computerscreen.

[0010] Web pages are typically hypertext documents, i.e., documentswhich provide clearly visible links to other documents or web pages onthe World Wide Web. When a user clicks on a hypertext link, orhyperlink, a new request to retrieve another file is sent over theInternet. With a web browser, a user typically sees formatted documentsthat contain text, graphics and highlighted hyperlinks. The browsers leta user navigate the Internet, not by entering commands, but rather bymoving a mouse pointer to a desired hyperlink and clicking. The browserestablishes contact with the related server in a remote computer, andthe server transfers the requested file to the user's machine,displaying it in the user's browser as another formatted, hyperlinkdocument. Thus, a user can “surf” the web by hopping from hyperlink tohyperlink without delving deeply into the contents of any particulardocument.

[0011] Users connect to the Internet typically via a modem dial-upconnection to an Internet Service Provider, although some connect via adirect line such as a T1 or a T3 line. Most modem dial-up connectionsoccur over regular phone lines. These analog lines have limitedbandwidth, which limits the rate of speed at which data can betransferred from the Internet to a user's computer. Common transferrates for modems used with analog phone lines are 28.8 and 56 Kbps. Witha rate of data transfer of 28.8 Kbps, the download of a typical windowscreen consisting of 50 KBytes of data can take as much as 13 seconds,while a 1 MegaByte image file at the same data transfer speed could takeas much as 5 minutes. Thus, where you have a user who is looking todownload catalog web pages containing multiple graphical images perpage, a significant amount of time can be spent by the user waiting forthe download of each page.

[0012] It is possible to reduce download time by subscribing to animproved connection service, such as ISDN (Integrated Services DigitalNetwork) or DSL (Digital Subscriber Line). While such services allow forfaster download times, they are not available in many locations, such asthe rural locations where persons who traditionally use catalogs to shoplive. Moreover, there is an additional expense to a user of theseservices, which may not be affordable or justified, given the purposefor which a user's computer and Internet connection may be used. Thismay be particularly the case where a user operates his or her computerand Internet connection for personal purposes only.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0013] The present invention is a method and system for browsing andordering from catalogs via the Internet which overcomes the downloadlimitations associated with performing these tasks using a typical modemdial-up connection to the Internet. According to the present invention,an Internet user/catalog customer seeking to browse a catalog, is firstprovided with a low resolution image file of a requested catalog pagethat provides the customer with a collection of low resolution imagesfor identifying the products presented on the catalog page. Nominally,this low resolution file would be 20-30 K bytes in size, it having beengenerated using a reduction computation based on a reduction ratio ofnominally 2 MB to 20 KB. Each time the customer requests a new catalogpage, a low resolution image of the requested page is displayed on thecustomer's computer by the customer's browser program. The size of thecomputer file corresponding to each of the low resolution image pages isreduced to be as small as possible, while still allowing sufficientdetail to allow a customer to recognize generally the category name,headline and the products imaged on the page. By initially providingsuch low resolution images of the requested catalog pages, the pages canbe quickly downloaded to a customer's computer, thereby allowing thecustomer to quickly browse selected catalog “pages.” While productcatalogs are typically directed to physical items offered for sale by acatalog company, the present invention also contemplates a broaderdefinition of “products” that may include, for example, services ornon-tangible items that may be offered by a company as its products.

[0014] When a customer sees a product in which he or she is interested,the customer can request more detailed information about the particularproduct by clicking on a hyperlink that connects the customer to anotherfile containing such detailed information. The hyperlink, which isembedded in the low resolution image catalog page, may be a blocked areawhich, in effect, corresponds to the entire presentation of the productpictured on the page. When a customer clicks anywhere in this “live”blocked area corresponding to a particular product, a more detailedpresentation for that product is provided. This more detailedpresentation may be built from several files which include a higherresolution image (i.e., larger file size) of the product, a headlinefile identifying the product, a copy file describing the product, and anorder block data file providing detailed information for ordering theproduct. The more detailed presentation is then transmitted by thecatalog web page server to the customer over the Internet, after whichthe customer's browser receives the detailed presentation file anddisplays it in the customer's computer according to the format containedin the more detailed file. If the customer decides to buy the product,another hyperlink in the detailed presentation is then clicked to obtainanother file in which information for ordering the product is stored. Ifthe customer chooses to not buy the product, then he or she has theoption of returning to the low resolution image catalog page previouslybeing viewed, after which the detailed presentation for another productpictured on that low resolution image catalog page can be requested byclicking on the blocked area link for that product. Alternatively, thecustomer can request a different catalog page, whereupon a lowresolution image of the requested page is then transmitted by thecatalog web page server to the customer's browser program for viewing bythe customer.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015]FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a system for carrying out the catalogbrowsing and ordering method of the present invention;

[0016]FIG. 2 is a flow diagram of the catalog browsing and orderingmethod of the present invention;

[0017]FIG. 3 is a sample of a web page for a product catalog company;

[0018]FIG. 4 is another page linked to the web page of FIG. 3 throughwhich a customer requests a desired product catalog and particular pagesof the product catalog;

[0019]FIG. 5 is a sample of a low resolution image catalog pagerequested using the requesting page of FIG. 4;

[0020]FIG. 6 is a detailed presentation of a selected one of theproducts shown on the low resolution image catalog page of FIG. 5;

[0021]FIG. 7 is a second detailed presentation of another product shownon the low resolution image of the catalog page of FIG. 5;

[0022]FIG. 8 is a low resolution image of a “specials” page of the webpage catalog also accessed through a link on the web page of FIG. 3; and

[0023]FIG. 9 is a detailed presentation of one of the products shown onthe low resolution image “specials” page of FIG. 8.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0024]FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a system for carrying outthe catalog browsing and ordering method of the present invention. Shownin FIG. 1 is a server computer system 10 connected to the Internet 11.Stored in the memory (not shown) of computer 10 is a web server program12 and a plurality of files 14 relating to a product catalog web page13. Constituting the plurality of files 14 are a first series of files15, which are low resolution images of the catalog pages comprising theproduct catalog, a second, larger series of files 16 which are detailedpresentations of the products shown on the low resolution image catalogpages 15, and a third series of files 17 displayed to customers as“access pages” to implement the displaying of catalog pages and theordering of products pictured on such pages.

[0025] Also shown in FIG. 1 are several client systems 18, each of whichcan be, for example, a television with Internet access, but which ispreferably a personal computer with a modem 22 for connecting to theInternet 11. Stored in each computer 18's memory (not shown) is abrowser program 20 for requesting information from web servers, such asserver 12. The client systems 18 are each typically operated by acustomer desiring to browse, and perhaps order products from, a catalogweb page.

[0026] Although not specifically shown in FIG. 1, computers 10 and 18would typically include central processing units (CPUs) and system busesthat would couple various computer components to the CPUs. These systembuses may be any of several types of bus structures, including a memorybus or memory controller, a peripheral bus, and a local bus using any ofa variety of bus architectures. The memory used by computers 10 and 18would also typically include random access memory (RAM) and one or morehard disk drives that read from, and write to, (typically fixed)magnetic hard disks. A basic input/output system (BIOS), containing thebasic routines that help to transfer information between elements withina personal computer system, such as during start-up, may also be storedin read only memory (ROM). Computers 10 and 18 might also include othertypes of drives for accessing other computer-readable media, such as aremovable “floppy” disks, or an optical disk, such as a CD ROM. The harddisk, floppy disk, and optical disk drives are typically connected to asystem bus by a hard disk drive interface, a floppy disk driveinterface, and an optical drive interface, respectively. The drives andtheir associated computer-readable media provide nonvolatile storage ofcomputer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules, andother data used by machines, such as computers 10 and 18. Computer 10will also include a communications device (not shown) for connecting toInternet 11. Such communications device and modems 22 may be internal orexternal, and are typically connected to the computer's system bus via aserial port interface. Computers 10 and 18 may also include othertypical peripheral devices, such as printers, displays and keyboards.Typically, computer 18 would include a display monitor (not shown) onwhich various catalog pages and other catalog information are displayed.

[0027]FIG. 2 is a flow diagram for the catalog browsing and orderingmethod of the present invention. The first step 31 is generating thecomputer files 15 containing for each catalog page a low resolution scanimage from a corresponding detailed catalog page 32. In the presentinvention, each such low resolution image catalog page is a computerfile nominally 20-30K bytes in size. An example of such a low resolutionimage catalog page 33 is shown in FIG. 5 of the application.

[0028] The next step 34 in the method of the present invention is tocreate for each low resolution image catalog page an image map for eachproduct pictured in the low resolution image catalog page. These imagemaps use an X-Y coordinate system to define the outline of areascorresponding to the product pictures. Clicking with a mouse within anarea, such as area 35 shown in FIG. 5, causes server 13 to return adetailed product presentation page hyperlinked to such area.

[0029] A low resolution image is generated for each page of the catalogto be accessed at the product catalog web site. Once the low resolutionimages of the various catalog pages are generated, the next step 36shown in FIG. 2 is to load the area outlined low resolution pages 15into Computer 10's memory so that they can be accessed by web server 12.

[0030] When a customer links to a product catalog web page, such as thatshown in FIG. 3, he or she is presented with a display 60, that includesa number of hyperlinks 62 that allow the customer to further link tovarious files associated with browsing the catalog's pages and withordering products from the catalog. Clicking on the “browse printcatalog” link 64 causes the user to link to a new page 70 shown in FIG.4 for requesting a particular catalog and then particular pages from theselected catalog. Page 70 shown in FIG. 4 includes a plurality of links71 for selecting a particular catalog and a page selection field 72 forselecting a desired page number of a selected catalog 74. After the“Select A Page” field 72 is clicked, a drop menu (not shown) appearsfrom which the customer can choose a desired page by a second click on apage number, which links the user to the catalog page corresponding tothe page number clicked in field 72 shown in FIG. 4. Clicking on adesired catalog and then on a page number in field 72 corresponds to thestep 37 in FIG. 2 of requesting a particular catalog page.

[0031] At step 38 of FIG. 2, web server 12 sends to a customer'scomputer 18 the low resolution image of the requested catalog page, suchas catalog page “29” (web page 33) shown in FIG. 5, after which thecustomer's web browser 20 displays web page 33 on customer's computer18.

[0032] At step 39 of FIG. 2, the customer clicks in an outlined area fora given product, such as, by way of example, area 35 shown in FIG. 5.Clicking on outlined area 35 links the user to another web page 40 shownin FIG. 6 that is a detailed presentation of the product shown in area35 of FIG. 5. This detailed presentation of such product is dynamicallycreated at step 41 of FIG. 2. The web server 12 presents one of thepages 16 which is a detailed presentation of the product shown in thelow resolution image of the web page 33 shown in FIG. 5.

[0033] Referring simultaneously to FIGS. 2 and 6, the detailedpresentation 40A shown in FIG. 6 typically includes a high resolutionphotograph 42A, a headline 43A, product copy 44A and an order block 45Afor purchasing the product pictured and described in FIG. 6. The highresolution photograph 42A is generated from a JPG file 42 accessed byweb server 12. The headline 43A, copy 44A and order block 45A are alldynamically generated from headline file 43, copy file 44 and orderblock data file 45, respectively, also accessed by web server 12. Atstep 46 of FIG. 2, the presentation of FIG. 6 is sent through theInternet to browser 20, where it is displayed on the customer's system18. After the detailed presentation 40A is displayed on the customersystem 18, at step 47 of FIG. 2, the customer makes a buy decision as towhether to purchase the product presented on his or her system 18.

[0034] If the customer chooses to buy the product, he or she clicks abuy button 48A shown in FIG. 6, whereupon at step 49 of the flowchart ofFIG. 2, the order is processed. If the customer chooses to not purchasethe product, he or she simply clicks the back button on the web browserto return to the previously displayed low resolution image catalog page.

[0035] Referring again to FIG. 5, if a customer decides to purchase adifferent product 50 shown in the low resolution image catalog page “29”(web page 33), then he or she clicks in the outline area 50 for suchproduct to obtain a detailed product presentation for that particularproduct. The new detailed presentation 40B shown in FIG. 7 is thenaccessed when link 50 in low resolution image web page 33 is clicked.Here again, the detailed presentation 40B shown in FIG. 7 includes ahigh resolution photograph 42B of the product, a headline 43B, productcopy 44B and an order data block 45B. If the customer wishes to orderthe product shown in FIG. 7, he or she again clicks the buy button 48Bto initiate the purchase.

[0036] Also included in the web page 70 (FIG. 4) for selectingparticular catalog pages by page number, is a search link 73 which linksthe user to a field (not shown) in which can be typed a product name orproduct description keyword for purposes of locating the catalog page,or pages, on which such product is displayed and described. Once theproduct name or keyword is entered in the field, a “Go” button (notshown) is clicked, which then links the customer to the low resolutionimage catalog page on which the product is displayed and described. Withthe right product name or keyword, the customer would again be linked tothe web page showing, for example, the low resolution image web page 33(catalog page 29) of FIG. 5. If the customer then wanted additionalinformation about any of the products shown in catalog page 29, he orshe would again click an outline area, such as, for example, areas 35 or50, to retrieve one or the other of the detailed product presentation40A or 40B shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, respectively.

[0037] Referring again to the web page 60 shown in FIG. 3, otherhyperlinks can be included on page 60 to initiate other browsing and/orbuying functions. For example, web page 60 can include a “specials” link66 which, when clicked, links the customer to yet another web page 80containing a low resolution image of a catalog page containing variousproducts on special sale. An example of a “specials” catalog page isshown in FIG. 8 of the application. In the example shown in FIG. 8, thespecials page 80 includes several product pictures 82 and acorresponding number of headlines 84 identifying the products picturedon page 80. In this case, also included are subheadlines 86 whichidentify the date until which each of the products is on sale. If acustomer wishes to obtain further information about a particular specialproduct, he or she clicks on an outline area 88 or a word link 89corresponding to the desired product. Clicking on outline area 88 orword link 89 links the customer to a detailed presentation web page 90for the product depicted in the outline area 88. The detailedpresentation web page 90 is shown in FIG. 9. Here again, the detailedpresentation 90 includes a high resolution photograph 42C, a headline43C, product copy 44C and an order block 45C, which in this caseincludes two entries. If a customer decides to order one or more of thespecials products, he or she clicks one or more buy buttons 46Ccorresponding to such products.

[0038] Referring again to the web page shown in FIG. 3, other hyperlinksthat can be included on the web page 60 are pictures 68 depictingdifferent types of products. The picture links allow a user to go todifferent types of products in which he or she may be interested. Webpage 60 can also include a “checkout” hyperlink 67 which initiates afinal purchase of the selected products.

[0039] Although the present invention has been described in terms of aparticular embodiment, it is not intended that the invention be limitedto that embodiment. Modifications of the disclosed embodiment within thespirit of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art.For example, the web page can include additional hyperlinks to initiateadditional functions associated with the browsing of the product catalogand the purchasing of products within the catalog. It can also includeother hyperlinks for other functions such as new products, upcomingevents, news, customer rights, security and privacy, forms, giftregistries, and the establishment of a personal catalog which includesproducts previously purchased by a customer or products in which thecustomer has an interest but which he or she may not have yet purchased.The scope of the present invention is defined by the claims that follow.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of browsing a product catalog via atelecommunications network comprising: for each page of said productcatalog, storing in a first device connected to said network a filecontaining a low resolution scan of said catalog page, transmitting froma second device connected to said network at least one request for atleast one page of said product catalog, transmitting from said firstdevice in response to said at least one page request said low resolutionscan file of said requested catalog page, for each product displayed onsaid low resolution scan of said requested catalog page, storing in saidfirst device a plurality of files from which a detailed presentation ofsaid product is prepared, transmitting from said second device at leastone second request for one of said detailed product presentations, andtransmitting from said first device in response to said at least onesecond request said detailed product presentation file.
 2. The method ofclaim 1 further comprising the step of transmitting from said seconddevice at least one request to order said requested productcorresponding to said detailed product presentation.
 3. The method ofclaim 1 wherein the step of preparing the detailed product presentationfile comprises obtaining information from: a file containing a highresolution image of said product, a headline file identifying saidproduct, a copy file containing a description of said product, and anorder block data file containing ordering information for purchasingsaid product.
 4. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of transmittingsaid detailed product presentation file comprises transmitting: saidfile containing said high resolution image of said product, said fourthfile containing said headline file identifying said product, said copyfile containing said description of said product, and said order blockdata file containing said ordering information for purchasing saidproduct.
 5. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of transmitting saidleast one request for at least one page of said product catalogcomprises requesting a specials page describing products which are onsale.
 6. The method of claim 1 wherein the steps of transmitting said atleast one request for at least one page of said product catalog and oftransmitting said at least one second request for one of said detailedproduct presentations are performed by a browser program stored on saidsecond device.
 7. The method of claim 1 wherein the steps oftransmitting said low resolution scan file of said requested catalogpage and of transmitting said detailed product presentation file areperformed by a server program stored on said first device.
 8. A methodof browsing a product catalog via the Internet comprising: storing in afirst device connected to the Internet a file corresponding to a webpage for said product catalog, for each page of said product catalog,storing in said first device a corresponding file containing a lowresolution scan of said catalog page, for each product displayed on eachsaid low resolution scan of each said catalog page, storing in saidfirst device a plurality of files from which a detailed presentation ofsaid product is dynamically prepared, transmitting from a second deviceconnected to the Internet a first uniform resource locator for saidproduct catalog web page, transmitting from said first device inresponse to said transmission of said first uniform resource locatorsaid product catalog web page, transmitting from said second device asecond uniform resource locator corresponding to a file for selectingpages of said product catalog, transmitting from said first device inresponse to said transmission of said second uniform resource locatorsaid file for selecting pages of said product catalog, transmitting fromsaid second device a first at least one request for at least one page ofsaid product catalog, transmitting from said first device in response tosaid request for said at least one page said low resolution scan file ofsaid requested catalog page, transmitting from said second device asecond at least one request for one of said detailed productpresentations corresponding to at least one product displayed on saidlow resolution scan of said catalog page, and transmitting from saidfirst device in response to said at least one request said detailedproduct presentation file.
 9. The method of claim 8 further comprisingthe step of transmitting from said second device at least one request toorder said requested product corresponding to said detailed productpresentation.
 10. The method of claim 8 wherein the step of preparingsaid corresponding detailed product presentation comprises obtaininginformation from: a file containing a high resolution image of saidproduct, a headline file identifying said product, a copy filecontaining a description of said product, and an order block data filecontaining ordering information for purchasing said product.
 11. Themethod of claim 8 wherein the step of transmitting said correspondingdetailed product presentation file comprises transmitting: said filecontaining said high resolution image of said product, said headlinefile identifying said product, said copy file containing saiddescription of said product, and said order block data file containingsaid ordering information for purchasing said product.
 12. The method ofclaim 8 wherein the step of transmitting said least one request for atleast one page of said product catalog comprises requesting a specialspage describing products which are on sale.
 13. The method of claim 8wherein the steps of transmitting said at least one request for at leastone page of said product catalog and of transmitting said at least onesecond request for one of said detailed product presentations areperformed by a browser program stored on said second device.
 14. Themethod of claim 8 wherein the steps of transmitting said low resolutionscan file of said requested catalog page and of transmitting saiddetailed product presentation file are performed by a server programstored on said first device.
 15. A system for browsing a product catalogvia a telecommunications network comprising: means for storing in afirst device connected to said network a file containing a lowresolution scan for each page of said product catalog, means fortransmitting from a second device connected to said network at least onerequest for at least one page of said product catalog, means fortransmitting from said first device in response to said at least onepage request said low resolution scan file of said requested catalogpage, means for storing in said first device a plurality of files fromwhich is prepared a detailed presentation of each product displayed onsaid low resolution scan of said requested catalog page, means fortransmitting from said second device at least one second request for oneof said detailed product presentations, and means for transmitting fromsaid first device in response to said at least one second request saiddetailed product presentation file.
 16. The system of claim 15 furthercomprising means for transmitting from said second device at least onerequest to order said requested product corresponding to said detailedproduct presentation.
 17. The system of claim 15 wherein said detailedproduct presentation is comprised of information from: a file containinga high resolution image of said product, a headline file identifyingsaid product, a copy file containing a description of said product, andan order block data file containing ordering information for purchasingsaid product.
 18. The system of claim 15 wherein said means fortransmitting said least one request for at least one page of saidproduct catalog further comprises means for requesting a specials pagedescribing products which are on sale.
 19. A system for browsing aproduct catalog via the Internet comprising: a first device connected tothe Internet for storing at least one file for allowing the display ofsaid product catalog's pages, for each product page of said productcatalog, a corresponding file containing a low resolution scan of suchproduct page, and for each product displayed on said low resolution scanof said catalog page, a plurality of files from which is prepared adetailed product presentation for such product; a second deviceconnected to the Internet for use by a customer; a first program storedin said second device for requesting and displaying information aboutproducts in said product catalog, said first program including at leastone module for requesting and displaying: at least one access page forsaid product catalog, at least one page of said product catalog, and atleast one detailed product presentation corresponding to at least oneproduct displayed on said low resolution scan of said catalog page; anda second program stored in said first device for transmittingdescriptions of and ordering information about products in said productcatalog, said second program including: a first module for transmittingaccess pages for said product catalog, a second module for transmittingin response to said request for at least one page of said productcatalog a file containing a low resolution scan of said requestedcatalog page, and a third module for transmitting in response to said atleast one second request for said detailed product presentation a filecontaining a high resolution image of said product, a headlineidentifying said product, copy describing said product, and orderinginformation for purchasing said product.
 20. The system of claim 19wherein said first program further includes a fourth module for orderingsaid requested product corresponding to said detailed productpresentation.
 21. The system of claim 19 wherein said first programfurther includes a fifth module for requesting at least one page of saidproduct catalog comprising a specials page describing products which areon sale.
 22. The system of claim 19 wherein said first program is abrowser program.
 23. The system of claim 22 wherein said first programfurther comprises at least one module for providing at said seconddevice a plurality of displays with hyperlinks for initiating saidrequests for said web page for said product catalog, said at least onepage of said product catalog, and said at least one detailed productpresentation corresponding to said at least one product displayed onsaid low resolution scan of said catalog page.
 24. The system of claim19 wherein said second device is a personal computer.
 25. The system ofclaim 19 wherein said second program is a server program.
 26. The systemof claim 19 wherein said first device is a server computer.